Your health: Mom knows best
20/20 veggie vision
The largest study of its kind confirms advice your mother would like: women who exercised regularly, didn't smoke and ate a healthy diet were much less likely to suffer macular degeneration as they aged, according to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
The study of 1,313 women from Oregon, Iowa and Wisconsin was the first to look at multiple lifestyle factors that influence age-related macular degeneration. The condition is the leading cause of vision impairment in older people in the U.S. and costs $570 million in direct medical expenses.
Women who ate healthy diets, exercised and did not smoke had a three times lower chance of having early AMD, signs of a degenerating retina that can lead to advanced AMD. About 6 percent of the healthy-lifestyle group developed early AMD compared with 18 percent of those who had unhealthy lifestyles.
Turn it down!
Hearing is the gatekeeper to human communication — it is one of the primary ways in which we connect with other people. Those of us who hear clearly probably cannot appreciate how difficult hearing loss can be. It can even lead to withdrawal and isolation.
You can help protect your hearing, starting today, according to the Harvard Medical School.
The most important thing you can do is protect your ears from loud noises. Any sound that's loud enough to hurt your ears, prompt temporary hearing loss, or cause ringing in the ears can destroy hair cells and lead to permanent hearing loss.
Such noises include leaf blowers, lawn mowers, chain saws, snowblowers, vacuum cleaners and blow dryers.
If you use stereo headphones or earbuds, keep the volume at a reasonable level. Don't turn it up in an attempt to drown out other noise in the room. The volume on some portable stereos can go up to 126 decibels, which is comparable to the ear-piercing noise of a jackhammer or chain saw.
Express gratitude
'Tis the season to be jolly! Yet for many people, the holidays can also be synonymous with stress. One way to make sure you experience the warmth of the season is to slow down and remember to acknowledge all the things and people in your life that make you feel grateful.
In positive psychology research, gratitude is consistently associated with greater happiness, according to the Harvard Medical School. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish positive experiences, have better health, deal with adversity and build strong relationships.